Michigan child poverty rate drops, but 20% still live in poverty

The annual Kids Count in Michigan Data Book released Tuesday by Michigan League for Public Policy reports about 416,000 of Michigan’s children lived in poverty in 2017. That was down from roughly 549,000 in 2012.(Photo: Robin Buckson, The Detroit News)

Lansing — Michigan’s child poverty rate dropped over five years, but hundreds of thousands of kids — or one in five — are still living in poverty.

The annual Kids Count in Michigan Data Book released Tuesday by Michigan League for Public Policy reports about 416,000 of Michigan’s children lived in poverty in 2017. That was down from roughly 549,000 in 2012.

The study also finds a spike in child abuse and neglect, with confirmed cases up nearly 30 percent.

Michigan’s bottom-ranked counties for child well-being are Lake, Luce, Alcona, Schoolcraft and Muskegon. The top five are Livingston, Clinton, Ottawa, Oakland and Washtenaw.